title: Gotch ear in a goat: a case report.
abstract: A 1-year-old castrated male Saanen goat was observed to have drooping and edema of the left ear consistent with published accounts of gotch ear in cattle associated with a tick bite. The goat's left ear was edematous from the tip of the pinna to the base of the ear. No signs of trauma or infectious processes were observed. Three engorged Gulf Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) were observed attached inside the ear. Ticks were removed and the ear biopsied at tick attachment sites. The affected ear was treated topically with betadine after removal of the ticks. No other treatment was administered. The goat remained free of clinical signs and the edema of the ear resolved within 3 days after tick removal. No clinical adverse effects of the condition were evident. All three ticks were positive for spotted fever group rickettsia by polymerase chain reaction analysis and showed 100% similarity with the homologous sequence of Rickettsia parkeri. There was no immunohistochemical evidence of spotted fever group rickettsia in the ear samples, supporting the hypothesis that gotch ear is not due to rickettsial infection. This report represents the first apparent case of gotch ear in a goat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA. kt20@msstate.edu
authors.forename: Kristine T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Andrea S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Varela-Stokes
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Paddock
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goddard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000382:microbiology; D004423:Ear / Q000469:parasitology*; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000382:microbiology*; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome